A survey conducted by Johnson Associates, a compensation consultant firm, indicates that compensation for employees of hedge funds, retail banking and private equity firms will be higher by 5%, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Here are some findings of the Johnson sturdy:

• Bond traders will see bonuses for 2010 decline 25% to 30%.
• Stock traders will see bonuses fall by 20% to 25%.
• Employees of asset management firms, including hedge funds, can see a 5% gain, reflecting the increase in assets under management.
• Retail banks are set to increase bonuses 5% to 10%.
• Despite this year's increases, bonuses will be 20% to 30% lower than the all time high in 2007.

There is bittersweet news for investors in Hershey Co (HSY). After over 100 years in the same location, Hershey Co. is electing to close its original chocolate factory, which was built beginning in 1903. The company cites the need to upgrade equipment as the main impetus for the change. The company needs to remain current to effectively compete on the global playing field. Hershey is spending $300 million building a new facility near the original factory's location.

After a strong day yesterday for oil prices, the precious crude has had another strong showing today, rising $2.04 a barrel to $79.90, and was trading above the psychological $80 mark earlier in the day.

One of the main catalysts pushing oil prices higher today was a better than expected jobs report from the U.S. Labor Department that showed that first time jobless claims were lower than expected last week.

Shares of international shipping giant FedEx Corp. (FDX) are selling off in early morning trading after the company posted fiscal first quarter results that were a bit shy of analyst estimates.

As we noted in our FedEx earnings preview, analysts had been expecting to see the company report earnings of $1.21 for the quarter, but actual results came in a bit lower at $1.20.

Meredith Whitney, of the Meredith Whitney Group, told Bloomberg News that she expects that securities firms around the world will cut 80,000 jobs. This would be about 10% from current levels. The cuts would begin after 2010 compensation payments.

Since the crash, Wall Street firms have been undergoing structural changes. The first wave saw cuts of 330,000 jobs around the world. Some firms have hired some personnel back; however, these small hires do not come close to the jobs lost.

Where did they go? Why have we not heard from them? We have heard what the rig survivors had to say, as well as the government inspectors, regulators and elected officials. BP (BP) senior management has spoken out often. We have heard from Gulf coast clean-up crews, the Coast Guard, insurance underwriters and affected business people.

Perhaps I just missed it, but I do not recall hearing anything from someone whose job it is to observe and report on safety and risk at BP facilities?

In a Labor Day message to General Motors employees, his first companywide statement since becoming CEO, Dan Akerson pledged to cooperate with the United Auto Workers (UAW). "Coming from a union family, I know on a very personal level the good things that unions can do," said Akerson, GM's fourth chief executive since 2009.

The UAW will negotiate a new contract with GM next year, and it may attempt to restore losses it agreed to ahead of GM's bankruptcy. This is expected to be a challenge for Akerson, who has a reputation for telling subordinates to "stop complaining and start working."

The U.S. lost fewer jobs than expected in August. Here are the key stats, as reported in the New York Times:

• The economy lost another 54,000 jobs last month.
• Private companies added 67,000 jobs.
• The unemployment rate rose to 9.6% from 9.5%.
• The government lost 121,000 jobs in August.
• State and local governments cut 10,000 jobs and another 114,000 temporary census positions.

On Wednesday, I noted a good short-hand for time-pressed investors who want to gauge whether or not it's a good time to start committing more money to stocks -- the U.S. Department of Labor's monthly Employment Situation report. It receives ample media coverage. In a summary: more than 125,000 jobs per month created consistently? That's bullish for the Dow.

Here's a second indicator: initial jobless claims. However, because jobless claims can fluctuate wildly due to idiosyncratic events (holidays, strikes, weather-related job cuts, etc.), use the 400,000-level barometer.

The Securities and Exchange Commission pretty much fell asleep for the past two years. Now, there's talk that the agency plans to get tough on violators whose greed and recklessness took this country to its knees. The Federal Reserve had to pledge or spend $12.8 trillion to bail them out.

The $12.8 trillion is gone and we have a country with 17 million unemployed and underemployed. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke could have done much better just taking that $12.8 trillion and help those in need. All he had to do was use one good bank for Americans to switch their money into, and let the greedy ones take a hit. With $12.8 trillion Bernanke could have put this country back on its feet again.

July's U.S. nonfarm payroll report by the U.S. Labor Department, commonly known as the monthly jobs report, was hardly something to write home about: an increase of 71,000 private sector jobs, after subtracting government jobs.

That's well below the 100,000 to 125,000 new jobs the U.S. economy needs to generate monthly just to keep the unemployment rate from rising.

Clearly, the nation has to do much better, but July's jobs report was not 'all-bad.' For the record, Ellen Zentner, a senior U.S. macroeconomist for Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. in New York, found a few rays of light.

Are you a whistleblower? If so, you could receive big payouts from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The new financial reform act has a provision that rewards whistleblowers, senior employees and third-party informants who provide the SEC with information that results in prosecution. The payouts could be huge. People who provide the SEC with information that leads to a successful enforcement are entitled to receive 10% to 30% of any sanction over $1 million -- including a share of the proceeds from any related regulatory action or shareholders' lawsuit.

Will mortgage rates, currently at/near generational lows, and bond rates, head lower in the quarters ahead?

That could be the case if one of the world's premiere rate experts is correct. PIMCO's Bill Gross said the U.S. Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise key, short-term interest rates for two to three years, Bloomberg News reported Friday.

This is earnings season. By most accounts, corporations are reporting higher profits this year than last. If this is the case, you would assume that more jobs are being created. This is not happening.

Robert Reich, a Columbia University professor, offers his reasons why higher corporate profits are not creating more jobs. He cites GM as an example. GM sells more cars in China than it does in the U.S. GM has 32,000 hourly workers in China, as compared to 52,000 hourly workers in the U.S. This is down from 468,000 in 1970. GM insists that no American taxpayer money is being used to expand in China. But GM can use the money it makes in China to pay American workers and pay down debt.

BP's (BP) chief executive Tony Hayward will receive an immediate annual pension of £600,000 ($930,000) when he leaves in October. He will also receive one year's salary, plus benefits worth £1 million. He will be able to keep his rights to shares under a long-term performance scheme. Eventually, these could be worth several million pounds. Hayward's total pension benefits will total £11 million.

The BBC's business editor said that because Hayward was leaving by mutual agreement rather than being fired, the BP board felt it had "to honor the terms of its contract with him." His contract states that anyone who joined BP before 2008 can take their pension at age 50. Mr. Hayward is 53.